Snap.
Will, bare-chested, landed steadily beside the deep crater below.
He gazed at the profound pit before him, his eyes thoughtful.
Through his Observation Haki, he sensed that his opponent lay motionless at the bottom, clearly unconscious.
Seeing this, he gradually relaxed his tensed back muscles, his entire body easing. A slight smirk curled at the corner of his mouth as he muttered to himself, "Fire Fist Ace... not bad."
Ace’s stamina and resilience were impressive; otherwise, he wouldn’t have withstood two of Will’s attacks before collapsing.
Will figured Ace’s current strength, if compared to the Seven Warlords of the Sea, would place him at a mid-tier level. However, he’d likely fall short against the top-tier fighters among them.
In Will’s view, Ace’s talent for Haki should have been exceptional. After all, it seed Ace had awakened Conqueror’s Haki at a very young age. Unfortunately, Ace hadn’t trained his Haki much. After eating the Fla-Fla Fruit, he likely focused even less on it.
Not long after setting sail, Ace was found by Whitebeard and beca his "son." Sheltered by such a powerful figure, Ace had lived too comfortably, rarely facing life-or-death battles. Unlike Luffy, who had endured countless grueling trials, Ace’s strength was nowhere near what it could have been.
Under the protection of a mighty eagle, how could a fledgling ever soar?
In truth, there was nothing inherently wrong with eating a Devil Fruit and developing its powers. But Ace had suffered from a lack of knowledge. He didn’t know that Devil Fruits were born from humanity’s collective willpower and desires, a product of their longing for evolution and their deepest wishes. Because of their "unnatural" nature, those who consud them were rejected by the sea, the mother of nature itself.
Given the average understanding of most people in this world, the upper limit of fire was akin to a raging forest blaze. Thus, the Fla-Fla Fruit’s potential was inherently capped. No matter how diligently Ace developed it, he could never break through its limitations.
What’s more, the seas were teeming with people who could wield fire in combat. Even Kalifa’s Mythical Zoan Devil Fruit ca with fire-based abilities.
Thinking of how many on the seas could use flas, Will couldn’t help but muse to himself, "Is this the Will of Fire?"
No wonder, after the Summit War in the original story, so many fla-wielding fighters began to erge.
"Though Ace may fall, the fire burns on."
Snapping out of his thoughts, Will shook off the tangled musings and slowly approached the crater.
In a snow-covered forest:
"Hurry up, everyone!" Nami, riding on the back of a swift, twin-tailed giant cat, shouted with a serious expression.
"It’s just ahead!" Vivi, carried by Chopper—who had transford back into a reindeer—stared forward intently and called out loudly.
Nearby, Dalton, now in his buffalo form, ran silently behind them, his expression grave.
The group had been moving at a leisurely pace earlier, but after spotting a massive fireball rising near Drum Mountain, they quickened their steps. The sudden loud explosion and the rapid disappearance of the flas made them realize sothing was amiss.
The three who had eaten Zoan Devil Fruits—Kalifa, Chopper, and Dalton—imdiately transford and began sprinting. Nami and Vivi, slower on their own, were carried by Kalifa and Chopper, respectively.
It was only then that Chopper and Dalton were shocked to discover that Kalifa, who had always stayed by Will’s side, had also eaten a Zoan Devil Fruit—and a rarer one than theirs.
As they neared the towering Drum Mountain, a massive path, carved by so terrifying force, appeared before them. The straight trail, over ten ters wide, was devoid of snow, trees, or rocks, as if ticulously polished, leaving it eerily clean and flat.
But just then, before they could fully process their shock, Nami’s eyes flickered, and she shouted, "Watch out! Sothing’s coming!"
"Huh?!" The other four froze, startled, and imdiately halted.
Kalifa and Dalton swiftly shifted into their human-beast forms, ready for any sudden threats. Nami slid off Kalifa’s back, her eyes warily scanning the sky.
Whoosh!
A black shadow streaked across the sky, plumting rapidly and crashing not far from them.
Boom!
A shattering sound rang out.
Under their cautious gazes, a tall figure erged slowly from the dust.
"Why’d you guys co all the way out here?" Will, bare-chested and muscular, stood with Ace slung over his shoulder, his tone slightly surprised as he looked at the group.
"Will!" Kalifa instantly reverted to her human form, her expression relaxing.
Nami stepped out from behind Kalifa, while Vivi hopped off Chopper’s back. Chopper, now back in his small form, joined Vivi in a look of astonishnt. Dalton, too, slung his large shovel back over his shoulder and returned to his human form, visibly relieved.
Will noted their reactions and had a hunch about why they were there but didn’t dwell on it. Carrying the unconscious, battered Ace, he walked toward them and smiled down at the group. "Let’s head back together."
He glanced at Chopper, tilting his head slightly. "We’ve got an injured guy here waiting for Dr. Chopper to patch him up."
In the end, Will hadn’t killed Ace. In this flawed world, Ace leaned toward kindness, and his strength still had room to grow. Killing him would’ve been a waste.
"Doctor?!" Chopper’s expression stiffened, but then he squird in place, grinning stubbornly. "You jerk, saying that won’t make happy!"
"Seriously, what a joke, calling a doctor~!"
"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Nami said, bending down to pat Chopper’s hat with a smile. "We all know Chopper doesn’t get happy over little things like that."
Kalifa chuckled and added, "Alright, let’s save the chatter for when we’re back."
"Mm." Chopper cald down a bit, nodding obediently.
With that, the group headed toward Horn Village.
As they walked, Will casually recounted what had just happened, filling them in on the details.
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